Thursday, July 20, 2017

(Paris) The head of the French armed forces, Gen Pierre de Villiers has resigned amid a bitter public row with the new President, Emmanuel Macron. The row began last week when a government minister revealed in a newspaper interview that despite pre-election assurances that the French military budget would rise the Government was actually going to hit the military with a €850m cut, this is despite that only days ago Macron stated that his pledge for future spending increases still stood.

“I know how to honour the commitments I make to our citizens.”

President Macron and Gen de Villiers in better times, 5 days ago

Gen de Villiers, speaking to a parliamentary committee behind closed doors stated that he would not let the government “fuck with me” on spending cuts. This was then leaked to the media. Macron instead of dealing with the matter also behind closed doors hit back by publicly slapping down the general at the annual summer military garden party, telling army generals in a speech: “I am the boss.”

It appears that Macron, by allowing power to come to his tiny little head, has started off on the wrong foot by alienating the entire armed forces by acting like the vast majority of politicians the world over. Lying out of his arse.